Clutch.



W. C. BRINTON, 1R.

CLUTCH.

APPLLCATION FILED ocT.2.1915.

2, g Patented Aug. 28, 19N.

srnfrns PAT:anniI y WILLIAM c. rnm'roN, .Infor nENNnTr seUAnn, PENNSYLVANIA, AssIe'Non 'ro Paume-enmarcar comAN-r, orxENNnrr soUAnn, PENNSYLVANIA, A con.-

PQMTIGN 0F PENNSYLVANIA. W

CLUTCH.

incense.

Specication of Letters Patent.

Patented Aug. 28, 19M'.

Application filed October 28, 1915. Serial No, 58,325.

To all cvzom t may concern;

Beit knownthat I, WILLIAM C. BRIN'roN,

Jr., a citizen of the United States, residing at Kennett Square, county of Chester, and State of Pennsylvania, have invented a new and useful improvement in Clutches, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, which form a part of this specification.

rlhe object of my invention is to provide 4member from the other .through a liquid.v

medium without involving any displacement of the latter except that produced by the approximation of the clutch members.

A preferred embodiment ofthe invention is shown in the accompanying drawings, in whichv A Figure l is a longitudinal section of a construction embodying my invention. Fig. `2 is a plan view, on a smaller scale, of that part of Fig. 1 showing the connection between the driven shaft and the driven element.

Un the driving shaft a is secured a. fly wheel b, the peripheral part of which projects beyond the end of the shaft and adords a bearing for a disk c secured to one end of a drivenY shaft al, which is arranged in line with shaft a.

Sleeved on the driven shaft al is a driving clutch member e havin a peripheral dange which isl bolted to the y-wheel 2'?. Secured to shaft di beyond the driving clutch member e is a driven clutch member f..

Secured to the far end of shaft d is a yoke g in sliding relation with which is a member h which is connected by a pivot i rotates with the driven shaft d., The driven element is held from sliding relativclyto y the driving shaft a.

A spring lo is confined between the driven'A element and the end lof the shaft al and inner face of the 1| yoke g and tends to slide the shaft d axia between this fiange an y (to the left, Fig. 1) to apply seasons it shquldbe nonffreezing.

the c lutch. 4Suitablamanual devices maybe applled to the driven clutch member to shift 1t to the right to release the clutc The driven clutch member j has aange m which surrounds the' driving clutch mem- 6c ber e. A suitable packin ring n is arranged .the periphery of the d rlving clutch member e. Anotherpackl ing rin a 1s arranged between the periphery of the. isk c and the ily wheel b.

It wlll be observed that an inclosed space or chamber r is formed between ,the =two kclutch members e and f and-that another inclosed space or chamber s is formed' ybetween the driving clutch members and .the 7c disk4 c. 'lvhese two spaces are connected by' channels t. Between the disk c and the fly wheel b isanother inclosed space u connected-by a channel e through the fly wheel b with the atmosphere..

. The opposing faces of the two clutch members c and f, which together form the wallof the space r, have a like contour. As shown, they both are stepped in a complementary manner, the wall formed by each aa i clutch presenting a series of faces y extend ing in planes perpendicular to the axis of the shafts and a series of cylindrical faces .n extending in circular planes parallel to, or

concentric with, the axis of the shaft, said 8u cylindrical faces being each of a constant radius from end to end. The circular planes in whichtwocorresponding circular faces of the two clutch members extend are nearly,

but not quite, coincident, so that as the driven clutch member moves toward the driving clutch member, these faces will come into opposition and slide one upon the other but will not bebrought into actual physical contact. Any two such opposing cyllndrical faces are preferably of the same length so A that, if theclutch 'members should be brought together so that opposing radially extendin faces touch, a series of closed very sha ow pockets' would be formed be- 10o tween opposing cylindrical faces.

The inclosed s acesr and a are llecl with va liquid. 'The liquid thatI prefer to emplfy -fis glycerinor a mixture of glycerinA an water,vtowhich should-"be added some 1,05

powdered asbestos. -Anyother` liquid possessin like properties may be substituted. That is, lthe liquid should be more or less viscous and in cold climates or in cold rlhe combined volume of these spaces 1 ands is fixed, whatever the position of the driven clutch member, the only veffect of its movement being to vary the relative capaci- 5 ties of the two. spaces and displace liquid from one space to the other.-

When the clutch is applied, that is, when the driven clutch member f is moved to the left, therebyapproximating the two clutch w chamber 1 will be just suliicient to form between the opposing surfaces 4of the clutch members a thin film of the liquid. This rotary movement of the driving Ashaft is :imparted to the driven element, the `two clutch members acting as if they were mechanically connected. t

In the event of any abnormal 'resistance the clutch, the driven clutch member -move's an appreciable 'distance to the rightbefore the 'gradually diminishing drivingconnection 1s entirely disrupted.

To introduce the liuid into the space r there is tappedin the ange m a hole adapted to be closed bya screw plug fw. vThe liqluid may be removed through the same ho e.

Having now fully described my invention, what l claim .and desire-to protect by Letters Patent is: 1. A clutch comprisinga driving member anda driven 'memberinclosing between them a space containing a suitable liquid, a portion of the inner wall of each member i; extending parallel to and relatively close to alinement with a portion of the inner wall ofthe other member, andmeans to impart to said members a relative movement in' the direction of extension 'of said wall portions p to contract said space and cause said parallel wall portions to form between them a thin space of gradually increasing superficial area between which a thin film of said liquid operates to operatively connect the two clutch members. 2. A .clutch comprising 'a driving memtween them a space adapted to contain a suitable liquid, said members being slidable one upon the other to' contract said space and thereby displace4 the liquid a members, the volume of liquid remaining in ilm serves as a medium through which the ber and a driven member inclosing bel' thin space confined between them as the main space is so contracted and operate,

through the medium of the fxlmbf liquid formed between them, to elfect a yielding griving connection between the clutch memers.

3. A clutch comprising a driving member and a driven member inclosing between them a .space containing a suitable liquid, av portion of the wall formed byeach member presenting a face extending parallel to and relatively close to 'alinement with aportion of the wall formed bythe other member, and means to impart to said members a relative movement in the direction of vextension of 89 said faces to expand and contract said space and thereby move said faces respectively out of and into opposing relationship;

4. A clutch comprising a rotata le 'member having a stepped inner wall one. face of 35 which extends Yconcentric with the am's of rotation of said member and facing toward said axis and a second member rotatable on the same axis having a stepped wall one face of which extends concentric with andinsideV 90- the first face and facing in the opposite direction, said walls inclosing between them a space adapted to contain a suitable liquid, said -members being slidable one upon the other to contractsaid space, displace said liquid, and form a liquid film between-said faces to e'ect a yielding driving connection between the clutch members. 5. A clutch member comprising a driving shaft, a driving clutch member secured thereto, a driven shaft in line with the driving'shaft and rotatable and axially slidable in, said driving clutch member, a driven clutch member secured to the driven shaft and slidable upon the driving clutch-member to form between them an inclosed space adapted to contain a suitable liquid, a driven element rotatable with and movable axially' relatively to the driven shaft, a spring cony lined between said driven element and the driven shaft tending to move the driven shaft and driven clutch member axially in a. direction to contract said space, the -faces of saidclutch members inclosing said space being similarly shaped to cause said liquid, when said space is contracted, to form between said faces a thin lm through the lll@ medium of which the clutch members are placed in driving relationship.

6. A clutchcomprising a driving shaft, a t2@ -ily wheel secured thereon, a longitudinally movable driven shaft in line with the driving shaft, a disk secured on the driven shaft, a driving clutch member sleeved on the driven shaft and secured to the flywheel E25 and forming between itself and the disk an inclosed space, a driven clutch member secured. on the driven shaft and slidable upon the driving member and forming between the two members another inclosed space', and a 130 channel connecting said spaces, said driven shaft being slidable toward and from the driving shaft to enlarge one space as the other is contracted, the walls formed by the two clutch members having faces adapted to be brought into close and parallel relationship when the space between them iscontracted so as to form between them a ilm of liquid by means of whichthe rotation of the driving member is imparted to the driven member.

7. A clutch comprising a driving member and a driven member adapted to receive between them a suitable liquid, a portion of the surface of one member etending parallel 15 to and relatively close to alinement with a portion of the surface of the other, and means to impart to said members a relative movement in the direction of extension of said surfaces to cause said parallel faces to 20y :form between them a thin space of gradually increasing superficial area between which a thin ilm of liquid operates to operatively connect the two clutch members.

In testimony of which invention, l have 25 

